About the job

Job summary

Never has there been a more important time for trees and forests to help tackle the climate emergency and provide a much-needed sanctuary for people and wildlife. Our government are committed to creating 30,000 hectares of woodland a year across the UK by the end of this Parliament. This acceleration in current planting rates in England will contribute to meeting the net-zero by 2050 ambitions and government’s wider environmental targets.

The Forestry Commission is working together with the Department for the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) to support the forestry sector, landowners, farmers, stakeholders and communities in the delivery of these ambitions. We aim to expand, protect, improve and connect woodlands across the country. If you are passionate about the role of trees, woodlands and forestry in creating a better future for England, and want to play a key part in realising that, we want to hear from you.

We are looking for a Spatial Analyst (Nature Recovery) to produce, deliver and advise on geospatial data, statistics, maps, and data visualisation across Forest Services, including for our national teams based in Bristol and Delivery Area-based teams dispersed across England.

The role is located in Forest Services’ (FS) Strategy and Transformation Team which underpins Forest Services by enabling all staff to do their best work. The team provides the crucial tools and services that all our people need to do their roles effectively. The role is in the Economics Evidence and Analysis part of that team which provides evidence, analysis and advice to support forestry policy and delivery. The post operates in an interdisciplinary environment, working with the team directly with policy, analysis and grants and regulations experts.

Job description

The primary focus of the role will be to support work on the natural environment. Initially this will be support for Nature Recovery, and in particular support for the Local Nature Recovery Strategies and other nature recovery or nature-based solutions work. They will work closely with the FS Nature Recovery and Natural Environment teams, in the Policy Advice Team, including contributing to policy discussions related to data.

The successful candidate for this post of Spatial Analyst will be competent working with geospatial data, producing high quality maps and statistics, well able to communicate relevant, accurate and timely geospatial evidence, and learn quickly. Self-reliance will be needed to help define, document, manage and implement a wide range of short term and some larger analytical projects. The post holder will need to build strong and productive working relationships with FS staff and others across the Forestry Commission and wider Defra group and with other partner bodies and stakeholders.

The post holder will be experienced in thinking through, planning, agreeing and carrying out analytical projects. Tasks will include computing, collating, validating, managing, analysing, and aptly presenting geospatial and statistical evidence. This will be by using principally geographical information systems (GIS), spreadsheets, and data visualisation techniques. The post holder will enjoy working with a wide variety of internal and external colleagues.

Key work areas

1. Working both self-reliantly and with others to plan and conduct bespoke desktop GIS and statistical analyses for FS customers, using GIS software (including ESRI ArcGIS), office software (including MS Excel & MS Word) and delivering appropriate visualisations in maps, tables and narrative reports to agreed timescales and professional standards.
2. Working across the Forestry Commission (FC), Defra group and other government departments to plan for, collect, manage, develop, analyse, map and present geospatial data to support work on the natural environment as relevant. This post will primarily support the Local Nature Recovery Strategies and related work by the Nature Recovery team.
3. Computing, collating, validating, managing, analysing and aptly presenting other forestry data and metadata. This includes managing related data for our enterprise-wide GIS systems and data sharing and licensing.
4. Contributing to Forestry Commission Official Statistics and management information and to other data analyses for the FC in support of its aims and objectives including where relevant with its partners and stakeholders, including support for spatial data required for reporting on the new environmental targets.
5. Supporting FS Nature Recovery team and Area teams in developing maps, statistics and datasets to support the delivery of forestry, woodland and nature recovery priorities across England.
6. Supporting staff working on policy matters by attending relevant meetings and giving technical support on policy questions.

Person specification

ESSENTIAL

1. Ability to identify, define, document, plan for, manage and meet customers’ geospatial requirements to professional standards including time.
2. Experience in the successful use of desktop GIS software; e.g. ESRI ArcGIS, spreadsheet software; e.g. MS Excel, to produce maps, statistics and narrative reports.
3. Experience in interactive data visualisation (tables, graphs and maps) using relevant desktop and/or web software solutions such as MS PowerBI.
4. Experience of successful analysis and presentation of geospatial and statistical data including related management of these projects.
5. Experience of data management and quality assurance.
6. A Masters degree in Geographical Information Systems, or a related field, and/or equivalent relevant experience.

DESIRABLE

1. Experience in using natural environment and/or social and/or economic data.
2. Experience in project management.
3. Experience with coding in a language such as Python.
4. Experience of using spatial data within the context of policy development.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £35,870, Forestry Commission contributes £9,721 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.

This is a Fixed Term Appointment until 31st March 2025 with the possibility of extension but no guarantee or permanency.

As part of the application process, you will complete the following:

1. A tailored CV setting out your career history with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years.
2. A personal statement – in no more than 750 words showing how you meet the criteria of the person specification.
3. 250 word statement in relation to the behaviour being assessed for this vacancy.
4. 2 x statements in relation to the technical skills required for this vacancy

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

At interview, you will be assessed against Behaviours, Technical Skills, Strengths and Experience.

Indicative timeline:

- Sifting to take place w/c 26th February 2024.
- Interviews to be carried out w/c 11th March 2024.

Please be aware dates may be subject to change for both sifting and interviews. 

We will be conducting online interviews with the use of Microsoft Teams or equivalent online communication methods. Candidates would therefore require access to a computer and internet at interview stage. The interviews will be based on Technical Skills, Experience, Strengths and Civil Service Behaviours.

Further Information

A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.

Any move to Forestry Commission from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out. 

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading. 

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

Existing Civil Servants and applicants from accredited NDPBs are eligible to apply, but will only be considered on loan basis (Civil Servants) or secondment (accredited NDPBs). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.

Where a role has been identified as one which falls under the scope of the Public Sector English Language Requirements, within Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016, it is essential that applicants should have the ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English. Applicants will be assessed in the selection process in accordance with the requirements. 2022).

This role is full time only. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying. 

Successful candidates if using their own private vehicle for business travel will need to comply with the Forestry Commission travel policy on CO2 emissions (115g maximum CO2/km from April

Reasonable Adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes. 

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should: 

Contact Government Recruitment Service via FCERecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs. 

Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section in the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional. 

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.